The other night, a family member asked me for a small favour. I don’t even remember exactly what. It doesn’t matter. It was nothing. I didn’t get angry or annoyed, but I didn’t jump up to help, either.

Instead, it made me despair. I even got teary-eyed. “What’s wrong with me?” I thought. 

Then, I recognized the feeling of overwhelm.

 I had been working hard for days, with not nearly enough time to relax or work out.

Stress had kept me up a few nights.

I was putting on a happy face, telling everyone that I was busy, but it was OK – it was all a “good” busy. Ha!

 We all feel overwhelmed sometimes. It can sneak up on us. Or it can even be a steady companion if we don’t take steps to shoo it away. Feeling overwhelmed is often our body’s way of saying, “Hey – calm down! You’re doing too much.” We think we can Do It All, right?

We give so much in our relationships and in our work that we sometimes take on more than we can handle. Or sometimes people put more on us than we want to accept. It’s important to recognize this feeling, step back, and say, “Ahhh…. I’m doing too much.”

Then, separate the items on your “to worry about” list.

What’s the Next Best Thing you can do?

What can you control – and what is simply beyond your control? 

Breathe. Journal or meditate. Go for a walk. Talk about your feelings, or write them down.

 It’s OK to realize, “Hey, guess what? I actually CAN’T do all of that!” It’s even healthy to say, “I don’t WANT to!” Try it the next time One More Thing becomes too much.